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Home > All News > 2008 News
San Jose police arrest four alleged gang taggersArticle Launched: 09/07/2008 08:11:56 PM PDT
JBF, a street gang known for spray-painting its initials on sound walls, freeway signs and private property throughout San Jose, has long been a thorn in the side of the San Jose Police Department's anti-graffiti unit, causing about $200,000 in damage every year. But San Jose police recently arrested four of those gang members after reportedly catching them in the act of layering spray paint up and down a sound wall near Interstate 280. Police hope the decision to file felony vandalism charges with a gang enhancement will put a dent in the citywide damage caused by members of JBF, which stands for Just Bustin' Funk. "They're one of the few crews in the city that have migrated from a strict tagging crew to a gang," said Erik Hove, one of two officers assigned full time to the police department's anti-graffiti unit. Police caught a break Aug. 22 when they received a tip that vandals were in the process of spray-painting a sound wall at the end of Duane Street, which runs parallel to Interstate 280 and is located near West Virginia Street. Officers responded in time to catch the suspected vandals in the act of spray-painting the gang's initials up and down the sound wall, Hove said. Three of the men took off at the sight of the patrol car. After a brief search, Julian Fierro, 26, Daniel Cordero, 25, Joshua Cordero, 20, and Jerome Harris, 21, all of San Jose, were arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism. Hove and his partner, Mario Recinos, secured enough evidence during the follow-up investigation to allow the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office to add a gang enhancement to the charges. The gang enhancement essentially states that the men committed the crime to benefit a criminal street gang and thus face longer potential sentences. If convicted, the men must serve a minimum of six months behind bars. Members of "JBF" have previously been arrested on suspicion of assault, auto theft and drug sales, according to Hove. "They've shown a pattern of criminal activity," he said. In the previous month, police have also arrested two teens, ages 13 and 17, who are suspected members of "JBF." The 13-year-old boy is the nephew of one of the four men recently arrested. Four of the six suspected members arrested in the past month had been previously cited for the same crime. "They haven't got the message in the past," Hove said. Recinos said his unit has identified numerous members of the gang but have struggled building cases against individuals because the damage is so generic. The gang members limit their graffiti to simply painting the initials JBF and nothing else. "We do get excited when officers are able to make arrests," Recinos said. "For that reason, we're trying to put the best possible case against these guys. We want the message sent out that this will not be tolerated." Like many other graffiti taggers, members of JBF often show off their exploits on the Internet by sharing photos on MySpace and Flickr. "They're not guys who do elaborate graffiti," Hove said. "They have no basis in art. It's just to damage property and to let people know they were there. That's all they're about." News Topics | Surenos | Home | Research | History | Blood Gangs | Crip Gangs | People | Gallery | Blog | |